Padres Star Xander Bogaerts' Confidence Is Slumping Along With His Stats

Can he turn it around?

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Things have yet to get better for San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who's slump continues to derail him from contributing to his potential for his team. As his slump extends, Bogaerts has grown increasingly frustrated with his performance in the lineup. While he has worked to fix his struggles, his corrections have not been present on game day.

“That’s the biggest annoying part — that you see it and you try to fix it, but then you go into the game and you’re always doing the same thing,” Bogaerts said, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“This (slump) is more frustrating to just see what you’re doing wrong every time,” Bogaerts added. “Its very hard to watch the video when you’re looking at it in the hotel room or at home. It’s very hard to see it.”

Bogaerts is slashing .213/.269/.290 with just two home runs and 11 RBIs on 155 at-bats. This is well below his career average of slashing .289/.353/.452 and a huge step back from his hot start to the season in March when he slashed .333/.385/.333. This has caused Bogaerts to grow harder on himself.

“Peope are like, ‘You’re too hard on yourself, you’re too down on yourself,’” Bogaerts said, via Acee. “It’s like, ‘Bro, I’ve seen the same (expletive) the whole time.’ At this point, you’re just flipping a coin like hoping something different happens while doing the same thing over and over again.”

The positive for the Padres is they've managed to survive without Bogaerts doing well. Their trade for former Miami Marlin Luis Arráez has helped significantly, as Arráez has taken over the leadoff spot in the lineup for Bogaerts and provided a spark to the team overall. The Padres have found a rhythm in general, winning six of their last eight games. Bogaerts returning to form would certainly be a good boost for the team, but San Diego can get through either way.